Baby shower bath support



A ril 26, 1960 r. O'CCNNOR BABY SHOWER BATH SUPPORT Filed Oct. 20, 1958 FIGI INVENTOR. LAURENCE T. O'CONNOR FIG. 4

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United States Patent BABY snownn BATH SUPPORT Laurence T. OConnor, Lakeview, Ark., assignor of onetenth to Gadget-Of-The-Month Club, Inc., North Hollywood, Calif., a corporation of California Application October 20,1958, Serial No. 768,287

1 Claim. (Cl. 4 -185) Generally speaking, the present invention relates to the baby shower and bath support art and, more specifically, relates to a baby shower bath support which may be easily attached to an existing bath-tub.

An object of the present invention is to provide a baby shower bath support which may be detachably mounted on the upstanding walls of a bath-tub whereby infants and babies may be given a gentle spray shower safely and easily.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination shower bath, drying, and dressing support device for infants and children whereby the time needed to give a child a shower bath, dry the child, and dress the child may be substantially reduced.

Yet another object of the present invention is to pro vide an easily storable and portable combination shower bath, drying, and dressing support devicefor infants provided with a storage'apron for the necessary accessories for dressing, drying, and changing a child.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a baby shower bath support device of the character set forth in the preceding objects, which is relatively inexpensive, simple, easy-to-use and of virtually foolproof construction.

Other and allied objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful perusal, examination, and study of the accompanying illustrations, the present specification, and the appended claim.

To facilitate understanding, reference will be made to the hereinbelow-described figures, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the present invention removably mounted on a bath-tub;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the baby shower bath support mounted on the bath-tub and the waterproof cover extended;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the lines 3-3 in Fig. 2, the plane of the section also being indicated at 33 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the lines 4-4 in Fig. 2 and illustrating the slotted strap mounting of the extendable waterproof cover.

The baby shower bath support, indicated generally at 5 in Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a rectangular frame 6 consisting of four wooden sides which are joined together at the corners by corrugated fasteners 7 and angle iron means 8 and wood screws 9, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3, thereby making a firm and rigid frame 6. In other modifications of the present invention, it is contemplated that an integral frame, made of plastic or metal, may be used in lieu of the single illustrative embodiment shown in Figs. 1-4 thereby obviating the need for mechanical fasteners on the corners of the frame.

On the underside of the frame 6, adjacent the corners, are four downwardly projecting screw positioners 10 which are screwed through the wooden frame 6, as shown in Fig. 3. Elastomeric covers 11 are fitted over the bath-tub positioning means 10 to prevent the marring of the bath-tub 12, as best shown in Fig. 3.

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The frame 6 is mounted on the pre-existing bath-tub 12 with the front and rear sides, indicated generally at A and B, respectively, of the frame 6 being mounted onto the top edge 13 of the tub 12. The bath-tub positioners 10 are positioned against the upper inner, surfaces 14 of the upstanding walls of the bath-tub 12 and are cooperable for restraining transverse movement of the frame 6 with respect to the bath-tub 12, as best shown in Fig. 2.

A plurality of porous webbings 15 are disposed in an open woven pattern in the interior of the frame 6 with the ends of the webbing means 15 being wound around the frame 6 and being fixedly attached to the inner surface 16 of the frame 6 by the tacks 17, as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. The webbings 15 run across the frame 6 from opposite sides and are preferably woven in a simple basket weave, although not so limited. The webbings 15 are preferably of fabric material, but plastic webbings 15 may be used in other versions of the present invention.

An extendable and removable waterproof cover 18 is attached at the rear portion of the frame 6 and is 'cooperable'for overlying extension over the webbing means 15, as best shown in Fig. 2. 0n the bottom of the waterproof cover 18 is a narrow liner 19 which is positioned parallel to the rear member of the frame 6, as illustrated in Fig; 4. At either end of the liner 19 is a tab portion 20. Slots 21 in the waterproof cover 18"are adjacent the rear. The extendable waterproof cover 18 is removably attached to the frame 6 by means of the tab end portions 20 which are wound around the frame 6 and inserted through the slots 21, as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. The tab end portion 20 is first wound around the side members of theframe 6 and is inserted through the slot 21 and then wound around the rear portion of the frame 6 and inserted again through the slot 21.

The extendable drying and dressing cover 18 includes a front flared portion 22 which, when the cover 18 is fully extended, secures the cover 18 over the front portion of the frame 6, as shown in Fig. 2.

Attached to the front portion of the frame means 6 is a removable terry-cloth apron 23 having a series of pockets 24. Decorative ribbons 25 are wound around the front member of the frame 6 and secure the apron 23 thereto. The apron 23 and pockets 24 contain a large amount of storage area and is a convenient and handy place for storing a number of articles which are needed to clean and dress the baby such as baby oil, soap, shampoo, etc. This convenient nearby storage apron 23 zubstantially reduces the time needed to dry and dress the aby. 1

In operation the baby is placed on the webbing 15 and an ordinary detachable bath spray having a standard faucet attachment is used to give the baby a gentle spray shower. After the shower is finished, the baby is lifted and the rubberized cover 18 is drawn forward thereby providing a dry surface on which the baby may be placed for drying and dressing.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art after a careful study hereof. All such, properly Within the basic spirit, scope and/or teachings of the present invention are intended to be included and comprehended herein as if specifically described, illustrated, and claimed.

For example, snap fasteners or other standard mechanical fasteners may be used to attach the extendable cover and apron to the frame instead of the ribbons and tabs of the present invention.

The exact compositions, configurations, constructions, relative positionings, and cooperative relationships of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical, and can be modified substantially within the spirit of the present invention.

The embodiment of the present invention specifically described and illustrated herein is exemplary only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and'the appended claim only, with due consideration for the doctrine of equivalents.

I claim:

A combination shower bath, drying, and dressing support device for infants, comprising: rectangular rame means cooperable for removable positioning with respect to the upstanding Walls of a bath-tub; downwardly projecting screw means provided with elastomeric covers thereon on the underside of said frame means adjacent the corners thereof; porous webbing means disposed in an open Woven pattern in the interiorof said frame means, the ends of said webbing means being at least partially wound around said frame means and being fixedly attached to the inner sides of said frame means; an extendable waterproof cover, attached to the rear portion of said frame means, cooperable for overlying extension over said webbing means, said extendable cover including a front flared portion cooperable for securing said cover over the front portion of said frame means; apron means including pockets attached to the front portion of said frame means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

